Damage Control
by moriartyswife
Summary: One would think being stuck in this place full of boys would be the worst thing imaginable. I couldn't disagree more. Everything here in the Glade worked in harmony. We all had our jobs and duties, coexisting with the maze that kept us prisoners. These boys were my family and I'd do anything to protect them, even if that meant leaving the security of the Glade.
1. Chapter 1

One would think being stuck in this place full of boys would be the worst thing imaginable. I couldn't disagree more. Everything here in the Glade worked in harmony. We all had our jobs and duties, coexisting with the maze that kept us prisoners. Nick made sure of that.

I was the only girl so far. _So far_. I kept a little hope. It seems that whoever put us here thinks that the ratio should be 20 boys per girl. That's a good ratio right?

Sighing, I leaned back against the tree that I was sitting in. From way up here, I could see the whole Glade. The boys were all busy, planting in the garden, building more huts, or whatever their job was. Constantly busy.

A stick cracking caused me to look down. At the base of the tree, Jeff raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun beaming down on him. He squinted, like he couldn't really see me. "We've got an emergency. Need you to help," he said.

"Always with the dramatics, Jeff," I replied, swinging my leg over the branch and climbing down to the bottom. I landed softly on the grass. "What's happened?"

"It's bad! One of the slicers got it good from the older ram. Lots of blood," Jeff explained.

Screaming rang out from the Med Jacks hut. As I approached, a crowd had gathered both inside and out. The sea of boys parted enough to let me and Jeff through.

"Glad you could grace us with your presence, Elira," Nick commented. He stood off to the side, arms folded and his eyes on me.

The scene made me pause. Adam had a gash in his leg that needed stitches. He thrashed about. Honestly, these boys are such babies sometimes. Wait…

"I got what you asked for, Clint," Winston said, emerging from the crowd. He had a bulky machete in his right hand.

"Woah! He doesn't need the leg amputated," I cut in between the banter of the boys who were excited to see it be cut off and Adam's ever loudening protests.

"We can't stitch it. It's gushing!" Clint half yelled, using the machete as an extension of his arm.

"Watch where you're pointing that," I said. I set my hand on the top of it and pushed it down. I grabbed the big med kit and knelt down in front of Adam. "You get to keep the leg today, Adam."

"Really?" Adam asked, his protests dying down. His chest heaved and his breaths were labored.

"So he's not losing the leg?" A voice shouted from outside.

"I don't understand how you boys think adding more blood and gore to this situation would help." I shook my head. "Hold him down."

Clint leaned over me. "Told you. It's bleeding too much."

He's right. I wrapped a thick piece of cloth around his upper thigh. "Grab the longest IV line that we have."

I chewed on my lip and scanned the crowd. My eyes landed on Newt. He was watching intently, leaning on the shovel he'd apparently forgotten to leave. That would have to work.

"Newt, let me borrow your shovel."

He had a puzzled look but let me take it. Clint gave me the line I'd asked for. This would have to work. If it didn't… I was afraid Clint was right. Adam would have to lose the leg. We'd never had it happen.

"How's it going, doc?" Adam asked, groaning in pain. His speech was sluggish so I checked his pulse in his wrist. I have to work fast or he's going to bleed out.

I worked quickly, tying one end of the tube to the shovel and the other end through the cloth I'd tied to his leg. I twisted the shovel around until the tube twisted the cloth extremely tight, cutting off the blood flow.

I tried to ignore Adam's screams of pain.

Jeff held the shovel while Clint helped me with the stitches. It took over 100 to close up the wound. I took clean cloth and wrapped the wound. Sitting back on my heels, Clint clapped his hand on my shoulder. I wiped the sweat off my brow.

"You're amazing at this medical stuff," he said, beginning to clean up.

Nick ordered everyone back to work. I told Adam he was on bed rest until further notice. Then I grabbed my spare clothes and headed to the wall of the maze in the woods. The creek ran down to it and disappeared underneath. It was the deepest point. Enough for one to submerge themselves. There was no way out. We'd tried.

"I thought I'd find you here," A familiar accent broke the peaceful silence.

I finished wiping myself as dry as I could before I slid on my new clothes. I slipped my boots on and climbed the small hill, carrying my bloody clothes in my hand.

Newt leaned against the tree, not looking my direction. He always made sure to respect my privacy when I came here to bathe. That's one of the many qualities about him that I admire.

"I'll return your shovel tomorrow," I commented.

"You'd better. I'd hate to have to fake an injury to see you again," Newt said, a smile breaking across his face.

"So you just followed me out here because…"

"You looked like you needed to talk. That was the worst injury yet," Newt said, looking straight into my eyes. It felt like he could read every thought in my head right now. "You saved his life, Elira. Everyone could tell he was bleeding out."

"That's the problem, Newt. He still might not make it. I have no idea if he's lost too much blood…"

"There's no way to know. You just have to take things one step at a time. You know that," He said and took my hand. "All I know is that these hands were meant to heal people. You're so gifted at it."

Silence took over for a moment.

"Are you ready to head back? The longer we're gone, the more stories will spread." Newt grinned, still holding my hand.

"I have no idea what stories they could possibly come up with." I finally smiled back.

Newt stepped away and gestured for me to go first. "After you, oh talented med jack."

I shook my head but laughed. The walk back to the med jack hut felt too short. Newt tried to keep my mind off of the negative by making me laugh. He was good at that too. I waved goodbye to him as he went back to work. These boys were my family and the Glade is my home. If the maze wasn't a constant reminder that we were trapped, I'd consider this my real home.


	2. Chapter 2

There had still been no change in Adam's state in three days. He'd lost consciousness two days after I'd stitched him up. Now, three days later, he was still not responding. It wasn't good news. The worst part was that I had no idea why. His pulse seemed steady and normal in comparison to any of the others.

I sat by his bed, changing the bandages around his wound. The stitches stuck up in the puffy skin that was tender and red. I traced my fingers along it, hoping for any kind of response from him.

"I know you're in there, Adam," I said, holding his hand. We'd hooked him up to one of the IV bags the creators had sent up. "Don't you give up on me."

Nothing.

"Just…squeeze my hand… please," I continued and used my free hand to wipe the tear off my cheek. Crying would do him no good. And it discouraged the boys. No… I wouldn't cry. Not here. Not now.

The familiar alarm broke through the silence. Another Greenie. I wanted to stay with Adam but Nick always ordered us to go to the box. New items from the creators would need to be unloaded. Besides, the boys were usually curious about the new boy. That and they wanted to harass him a little.

I reluctantly went to where the box comes up. The gated top had already been opened and I could hear Nick giving the introduction. I slipped between Alby and Gally. The new boy had muddy brown hair and his eyes lit up when they landed on me.

"Who's this?" He asked, completely ignoring Nick and walking over. "Does the girl have a name?"

"Back off, Greenie," Gally said, stepping in front of me and putting his hand on Greenie's chest. "Don't go getting any ideas."

"My name is Elira and I'm a med jack," I replied.

"What does a med jack do and where do I sign up?"

"I'm warning you to back _the hell_ off," Gally growled and shoved Greenie back so hard he lost his balance and hit the ground with a thud.

Greenie got angry quick. He lunged for Gally. Dammit. Why do boys have to have a quick temper? He swung first, catching Gally off guard and getting a good punch to the jaw. The fight didn't last long. Newt and Alby had them separated in moments.

I touched the puffy spot on Gally's jaw. He'd have a serious bruise.

He swatted my hand away. "It's fine, E." He stalked off back to the camp.

There would be party later. It was a tradition to have a big fire and celebration in honor the new greenie. It was supposed to be a time to relax but someone always ended up needing stitches. I didn't care to attend this one. Someone should be with Adam.

I didn't stick around to hear whatever came next. He'd get a night in the pit. Tomorrow, of course. I returned to the med jack's hut. Clint and Jeff would come in and bring the new supplies. I took my seat next to Adam.

"We have a new greenie. I think he'll fit in with you slicers quite nicely. You'll have to show him the ropes," I said and smiled. I held his hand again. Just in case…

"Do you think he can hear you?" Jeff asked, setting down the last box that was for us.

"I know he can," I answered, squeezing Adam's hand.

"The fire is about to be lit-"

"Go on. I'll catch up."

Jeff ran out to join the others. As soon as the maze doors closed, a cheer came from all the boys. The sound of crackling wood came next. It wouldn't be long until they started drinking and making bad decisions to fight each other.

"I'm going to go get some food from Frypan and I'll be right back," I told Adam. I stood up and started to pull my hand away.

Adam lightly squeezed my fingers.

A grin broke out on my face and I couldn't help but laugh. "Keep fighting, Adam." I leaned down and kissed his forehead.

I ventured out to the kitchen. It was empty except for two of the runners: Minho and Ben. Frypan fixed me a plate of chicken and rice with extra rice. He gave me a wink. It was our secret that I got extra rice when he made it. I sat down next to Ben.

"How's Adam?" Ben asked with a mouthful of chicken.

"Not much has changed. I know he's going to wake up though. I can feel it," I replied, looking at my hand that Adam squeezed with a smile. I knew that I shouldn't tell any of them. No need to get their hopes up yet. My stomach growled.

"Didn't eat lunch again?" Minho asked, concern resting on his features. "We heard what happened with Greenie."

"The shank is an idiot if he thinks he can touch you," Ben threw out.

There was some kind of agreement between all the Gladers that I was "off limits." None of them ever tried to make an advance. At least, not after the first time. I had earned some respect with my healing skills.

"He's just new. I doubt after the encounter with Gally this morning, he'd be stupid enough to try anything." I smiled, dismissing them.

"We all know that you aren't eating because of Adam," Minho said.

There it is. Sometimes they get into the headspace that I'm a girl so I'm fragile and if I start acting weird, the world is ending. I shook my head. "I was busy with other things too. It was just one meal."

They were both oddly quiet. I didn't really care to find out. I excused myself, taking the rest of my dinner back to the hut where I finished it in silence.

I licked my fingers and decided to busy myself by sorting through the new supplies and organizing them. I took each one out and explained to Adam what they were and what they were used for. The boys outside were getting louder and louder. I frowned a little. Adam should be out there with them. I shook that off and continued.

Mid-sentence, someone seized me around the waist and clamped their hand over my mouth.


	3. Chapter 3

"You're missing a great party," the voice whispered into my ear. His breath sent a shiver down my spine and he pulled me closer to him.

My shoulders relaxed. "Newt! You scared me."

Newt released me and spun me around, swaying on his feet. He had a lopsided grin on his face and then he placed a finger on my lips. The grin grew and he laughed. "I'm.. you're.. just… so pretty."

"Thank you, Newt. But you're drunk," I said.

He cut me off by grabbing my cheeks. Time slowed down for a moment. His dark brown eyes stared into my light blue ones. I could see him trying to think through what he wanted to do. He leaned forward. Should I stop him?

Newt kissed my nose and rested his forehead against mine.

"You're so beautiful, Elira. I'm going to get you out of this place… one day…"

Silence took over before he pulled me into a tight hug and twisted us side to side. He mumbled one day over and over until one of the boys called for him. Apparently they needed a mediator in a fight that was about to happen.

"I have to go," Newt announced and halfway staggered out the door.

I shook my head with my hands on my hips. Newt and I had a close relationship. Neither of us would go as far as to say that we were attracted to each other. It seemed to be obvious, but never spoken. We both knew the rules. It made me sad.

Nick had come up with it at my request. Well, more like my demand. I'd threatened to burn down the kitchen. The torch that I'd been holding closely to the wood wall told them I was serious. So the rule came about. No one was to even attempt to court me.

After that, most everything calmed down. I became a sister to most of them. Gally, especially, tries to protect me. More often than not, he blows it out of proportion but I didn't mind the intention behind it. We've become quite close.

None of that stopped some of the boys from hitting on me, especially when drunk. Usually it was the greenies, but some of the slicers could be vulgar and perverse. I was honestly surprised by how many analogies they could make with dead animals. Winston usually threatened them when they took things too far.

There was really no chance for Newt and I. Nick found out quickly about us spending so much time together and he put an end to it by telling us that the other boys would be upset. He said it would shift the delicate balance that we had.

I returned to the box of new supplies, unpacking what little was left. Organizing everything took less time than I thought. The boys were still outside making all kinds of noise. I covered my mouth when I yawned.

"I guess I'm staying with you tonight, Adam," I said and sat down on the second cot. My shoes came off first and I rubbed my feet. It's been a long day. The second I laid my head down, I fell asleep.

"Well, you're idea is stupid!" Some voice in the distance whispered.

"We have to wake her up," A second voice also whispered.

"No. You heard Nick. It's not life threatening."

I sighed softly and made myself sit up. Rubbing my eyes , I yawned. "What's going on?"

"Nick is going to be so pissed at you," Jeff said and elbowed Clint hard in the side.

"I'll deal with Nick. Just tell me what happened," I said, sliding my boots on. I tried not to fall back over and give into sleep. I don't know why I'm so exhausted lately.

"Hank's ankle is sprained really badly. It's swollen and discolored. We wrapped it last night but-" Clint started.

"Wait, last night? No one told me," I interrupted, fixing my shirt. I could have looked at last night.

"I know how to wrap a sprained ankle, Elira. It looked fine last night," Clint replied. He kept rubbing his side where he'd been jabbed. There will probably be a bruise. He looked offended by what I'd said.

"No, I know, Clint. I'm sorry. I just meant… never mind. Where is he?" I stood up. Gathering the supplies I thought I'd needed didn't take long. There's not much you can do for a sprained ankle.

They both waited for me and led me out of the hut. Hank was a reckless runner. He would climb rubble piles and fall off or it would collapse. He came to the hut with scrapes, bruises, and sprains all the time. This wasn't anything new for me.

Hank sat with his back against the wall of the maze near the entrance. Nick chastised him for even thinking about running today. Greenie stood beside Nick. He must be getting the official tour of the Glade today. Nick's eyes narrowed at Clink and Jeff, who both kept their distance.

I didn't care for their arguing today so I didn't speak to Nick when I passed. I crouched down beside Hank and pulled his pants leg up. It wasn't actually swollen but there was a pocket of fluid on the side of his ankle. That would be the painful part. Usually sprains healed pretty quickly. I took my bag off my shoulder and took a syringe out.

"You're not going to drug me are you, E?" Hank asked, laughing some. He couldn't take anything seriously to save his life.

"There's fluid here and I'm going to get it out. You'll feel better but no running for a few more days. You have to stay off this ankle," I instructed. After I prepared the syringe, it took seconds to drain the pocket.

Clint and Jeff supported him as I'd told them to. Greenie's eyes had yet to leave me. It made me extremely uncomfortable. He already had a night in the pit for yesterday. Surely, he wouldn't say anything else stupid right now. Especially with Nick already in a bad mood.

"I'm Brandon," He said, running his hand through his dark brown hair. He must have remembered last night because no one seemed excited that he'd said it.

When I didn't respond, he stepped closer to me and held his hand out. "I'm sorry for yesterday."

I hesitated but shook his hand.

My mistake.

Brandon jerked me to him, one arm around my waist. He pressed a knife against my throat. My back pressed up against his chest and the blade dug into my skin. Taking a few steps back from Nick, he drug me with him.

Toward the maze.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'll slit her throat. Don't try and stop me," Brandon threatened. He turned his head slightly so he could see all four of them. "I'm serious. I will kill her."

"Okay, just…calm down," Nick said, holding his hands up to show he wasn't going to attack him. "Let Elira go."

"No. I'm getting out of this place, and she's going to show me the way." Brandon backed up further.

"She doesn't know. We're all stuck here. The maze is not safe, especially for Elira. She's just a girl," Nick said, rolling his eyes.

I know that he didn't mean it that way. He wanted to make it seem like I was fragile and that Brandon should let me go. Still, it offended me a little.

"If anyone follows me, I will kill her," Brandon promised. He pressed the knife down hard, causing blood to run down my chest.

Nick looked lost for words. Brandon wasn't letting up. He continued to take a few steps back until we were in the entrance of the maze. It felt colder in here, like death. I'd never been curious about the maze. It felt off and I wasn't going to venture in there for answers.

"E, go left and straight down to the eighth section. I told you that was the best way to get out. Remember? We were going to go together," Hank said, looking straight into my eyes. He wanted me to lie.

I nodded as best I could. "I remember." I assumed that was the direction that Ben and Minho went in. I would have to warn them somehow. That was the only chance I had to getting out of here alive. A very, very slim chance.

"Let's go. Don't follow." Brandon kept a strong hold on me and we went further into the maze, turning left at the end of the corridor. At least he listened to Hank.

I knew Nick wouldn't send anyone after us. The rules prohibited it. He'd make no exception for me. I understood that. We can't sacrifice others. It was up to me to get away. I had no idea how I would do that. I was never the brawn of the group.

The further we got into the maze, the more alone I felt. Brandon didn't speak. His breath on the back of my neck creeped down my back. I wasn't sure if he'd let me live. But it didn't matter if it got dark. The grievers would surely kill us both.

"Which way?" Brandon demanded. We were stopped at a y-shaped path.

"I honestly don't know, Brandon. I've never been in the maze before."

"Liar! Tell me!"

"Runners are the only ones allowed. I'm a med-jack," I said, loudly this time. I had to rely on Ben and Minho hearing me and nothing else.

Brandon picked left and walked a good ways before we ran into a huge pile of rubble from where part of the wall collapsed. Instead of turning back, he shoved me forward.

"Climb."

"What?" I rubbed my neck and faced him. I couldn't run past him. He'd definitely catch me.

His eyes narrowed and he lifted his arm to point at the pile. "Climb. I'll follow."

Having no other choice, I started to climb the pile. Huge chunks sat on top of smaller, unstable pieces. I stumbled a few times but I was doing pretty well. Halfway to the top, I missed a step. The piece I put all my weight on gave out and caused a small avalanche, taking me with it.

I toppled down, smacking my head against a piece and blacking out for a moment. I coughed and blinked slowly. My limbs ached and my head pounded. I stayed lying on the ground for a moment.

"Get up and help me!" Brandon groaned and whined. He was on his back with his leg caught under some rubble. Rubbing his leg, he looked down at me.

I struggled to get to my feet. Holding my side, I leaned against the wall of the maze. Broken rib, maybe two. My fingers brushed across my head. Blood stuck to them. I might need stitches.

Brandon called for me again, angrier this time. I apologized and slowly started to climb back up to him. I took my time, careful not to fall. My vision blurred a few times but I blinked it away. Small pieces of rubble continued to fall in small batches on either side.

"Get it off," Brandon breathed out.

I did a quick exam. "I can't. The cement block is the only thing keeping you from bleeding out." I yelled for Ben and Minho, hoping they could hear me. All the runners carried equipment for this kind of problem.

"I just wanted to get out. I don't belong here," Brandon said with labored breathing. His chest heaved and he beat his fist on the ground. "If you had just told me!"

"Do you think any of us want to be stuck in the Glade?" I asked, sitting down next to him. He didn't believe me. I could see it in his eyes. "Whoever put us here didn't leave a way out."

"Elira!" Ben's voice echoed. I almost wanted to cry at the sound of it.

"Over here!" I shouted, standing back up. I dusted off my pants. The rubble pile was still unstable. When Ben and Minho came running around the corner, I smiled at Brandon. "I'm going to get you out." I stepped down a few steps toward them and stretched out my hand. "I need some rope."

"Watch out!" Minho shouted and sprinted toward me.

I turned to see a large slab of concrete start to fall forward. The small pieces that I'd caused to fall away had been supporting it. My eyes widened as it fell. Brandon screamed and my legs were frozen.

The slab landed smack on top of Brandon with so much force that blood, muscle, and other gross bodily things splattered everywhere around, including on me. I heard the crunching of every bone in his body under the weight of the slab. It echoed all throughout the maze.


	5. Chapter 5

I couldn't take my eyes off the slab of the wall that lay where Brandon used to be. Blood oozed out from under it slowly. Another crunch and a hand fell to the ground.

"Elira," Minho said, taking a cloth from his pack and wiping off my face. He grimaced and pulled the nerves attached to my hair off, at the end, dangled an eyeball. "Talk to me." He tossed it aside.

"We have to go," Ben said. "The maze will be closing soon. We can't be left out here."

Minho guided me down to the solid ground. I couldn't stand him touching me. Processing what just happened wasn't going well. My mind raced with many thoughts. I felt hot and it was making me sweaty. I placed a hand on the wall to keep myself upright.

"We're almost there, Elira," Minho said.

I turned a corner and emptied the contents of my stomach. Blood dripped off my hair, making me dry heave. Ben rubbed my back and talked softly about the Glade. Nothing serious, just the grass and the way the wind gently sang as it went through the trees.

I pulled myself together as best I could and accepted the bottle of water that Minho gave me. I stayed silent. The desire to talk about what just transpired didn't exist.

All the boys in the Glade were waiting by the entrance to the maze. The little cheering died quickly at the sight of my state. I didn't speak to anyone. I weaved through them. There was nothing I could say right now.

"Let her go," I heard Nick say.

"What the bloody hell happened?" Newt asked. That was the last thing that I heard.

I normally would be able to imagine what he looked like. His tone was angry and his hair probably stuck up in places from where he'd been pulling at the sweaty locks. He always scrunched up his nose when he was angry.

Right now, I couldn't picture any of it. The only image in my brain was an endless loop of Brandon. His face before the rock fell. The shock that spread mere seconds before he was crushed and splattered all over me and the rubble. It kept replaying over and over. Crunching, squishing, screaming.

I dropped to my knees by the creek. Scooping up the water in my hands, I tried to wash off the blood. My chest heaved and I began to cry. The blood wouldn't come off. I feared that it would stain my skin forever.

"Elira," Newt's voice came from beside me. He took the rock out of my hand. I'd been scrubbing my skin with it. "Breathe, you're alright, love."

His arms wrapped around me and pulled me close. Normally I would have felt calmer but my mind raced. My body shook from the shock. Only a few words played in my mind.

"It's my fault," I said, my voice cracking.

"No, it's not. He made you go in the maze."

"I… I killed him. I climbed up and... I slipped. I caused it to fall." I cried harder and Newt held me tighter.

Tangling his fingers in my hair, he shushed me. "None of it is your fault. He made you do it. He would have killed you."

"I couldn't help him."

Newt fell silent, simply holding me. The sobs racked my body until I couldn't cry anymore. Newt didn't speak until I'd calmed down.

"Look at me," he said softly and waited for me to do so. "Whatever happened out in the maze, none of it was your fault. You did what you did to survive. The fact that you even tried to help him after what he did to you, proves it. None of us would have done that."

He must know because of Ben and Minho. I closed my eyes. I hadn't even hesitated in helping him. It didn't matter what he'd done. I knew he'd done it because he was scared. No part of me blamed him for his actions.

"You are the kindest, most selfless person here, Elira. Never blame yourself. We need the light you bring," Newt said. He brushed the tears off my cheeks with his thumbs. "Now, you need medical attention. Let's get you back."

Newt kept his hand in mine while we walked back. It was a small gesture but it comforted me more than he probably knows. The sun was setting, creating a flow across the Glade. He made sure the pace was slow, to not hurt me but also to waste time.

"Hey, Elira. I heard you had a rough day."

I felt like bursting into tears again. I covered my mouth with my hand and Newt gently pushed me forward. "You're awake."

Adam broke out in a grin. "Thanks to you. I held onto your voice. Every time you spoke to me, even the boring medical talk, I heard it."

I crouched down and started to unwrap the wound. Adam took my hands. "I just want to check."

"Clint already did."

"Well… you shouldn't be sitting up."

"If I promise to lie down, will you let Jeff fix your wounds?" Adam asked, looking to the wound on my head and my arm. All of the boys were concerned.

"Deal." I smiled. I sat down and let Jeff clean the cut and stitch it up, and then he wrapped my arm from where I'd scratched the skin with the rock. I spent time talking about anything but what happened. The moment didn't last long.

"I need you to come to the meeting hall," Nick said with a somber look. Gally stood behind him.

Newt jumped to my defense. "It can wait till tomorrow."

"I will throw you into the pit if you get in my way," Nick threatened. I'd never heard him talk to another Glader. Gally moved past Nick and over to me.

"You know we can't make exceptions for you. But no one believes you did anything wrong. They just want to understand," Gally said as Jeff felt my ribs. I stiffened up and sucked in a breath.

"Gally, you can't force her to-"

"Newt, it's alright," I said softly. It would be a lie if I said I wanted to do this right now. The rules hat to be followed.

"I need to wrap your ribs. Can I do that before she goes?" Jeff asked. His tone couldn't stay even. The way he folded his arms and wrinkled his forehead showed how much he detested this as well. With Nick's nod, Jeff said, "Wait outside."

Everyone but Adam left me with Jeff. He had me to take my shirt off with his assistance. He moved slowly, taking care not to hurt my ribs any more than they already were. I knew he was also stalling. "I can tell Nick that you're too hurt."

"Its fine, Jeff. Stay here with Adam for me. And you," I slid my shirt on and turned to Adam. "You rest. I'm so glad you're awake."

"Don't let Nick walk all over you, E," Adam said.

When I went out of the hut, Gally was the only one waiting for me. He leaned against a tree and watched me. I tried not to move with a limp. The soreness was setting in from the fall. I hoped he wouldn't notice but the shake of his head said different. He slipped his arm around my waist and supported my weight.

"No one thinks Brandon's death is your fault. It's just a formality," Gally said. He stopped outside of the meeting hall. "Talk to me."

"He was going to kill me, Gally," I replied. That realization washed over me. I'd seen it in all of his actions. That crazy look… He wouldn't have spared me even if there was a way out of the maze.

"Elira."

"He had no… He would have killed me without a second thought." I ran my hands through my hair. "A-and I feel… guilty for not being able to save his life."

"You're still a girl. No matter how much you try, you will always have more emotions and kindness than any of us boys. You don't want to go in there crying."

I could see this was hard for him. Part of him wanted to comfort me, but his tough boy act wouldn't allow it. I smiled little and wiped my eyes. "Thank you. I need to remember that."

Gally gave a nod. "Are you ready to go in?"

Did I have a choice? It terrified me that I had to give a detailed account of what had happened. I wanted nothing more than to go back and sit with Adam for a couple of hours, and maybe eat some food. I stood up straighter and took in a shaky breath.

"Yes," I answered and walked inside.

Everyone fell silent and all eyes were on me. I swallowed the lump in my throat. Newt looked angry, Ben and Minho were watching me like I was about to pass out, and Nick, he was unreadable. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he acted like this was my doing. He didn't believe that, right?


	6. Chapter 6

I rubbed my hands together, waiting for Nick to finish giving his version of the story. Staying away from Mino, Ben, Newt, and Gally didn't help to calm my nerves. Nick stopped at the point that Brandon and I went into the maze. He stepped back, motioning me to the middle where I was completely alone. I tried to wipe the sweat on my palms onto my pants but it still stuck.

Before I gathered the courage to speak, Nick asked me a question. "What brought you down to the maze entrance?"

"A medical emergency. Hank hurt his ankle," I replied. My mind skipped the rest of the story and went straight to Brandon's death. No more words came out. Quite frankly, I thought I might throw up.

"And then Brandon and I came down there while I was showing him around."

I nodded, my eyes sweeping over the crowd of boys. All the attention was on me.

"What happened in the maze?" Nick asked, attempting to coax the story out of me. It felt more like an interrogation even though I knew that was absurd.

The conversation went on that way. Choppy answers from me while Nick asked more questions. I tried to avoid the ending, but Nick refused to accept my answer of "Brandon was killed". They wanted to know how. Even a few from the crowd had asked it.

"It's a simple question, Elira," Nick said. He stopped Ben from jumping to my defense. The room grew quiet and hot. I had to swallow down the food that threatened to come back up. Why is this so important to him? My heartbeat thumped loudly in my head.

"This is ridiculous, Nick. Ben and Minho were both there when he died," Newt's voice broke the silence. It made me feel a little better just knowing he wanted to help me.

"Just say it," Nick said. He walked toward me. He thought it would help me. Like it would take away the pain and the guilt.

Newt and Ben both sprang up and came to block him. The rest of the boys were mumbling among themselves. Hank spoke up from the front row. "Are you okay?"

"No." That caught everyone's attention and they grew quiet. "Brandon was going to kill me, no matter what the outcome… and knowing that, scares the hell out of me. I can't pretend to be fine."

"How did he die?" Nick asked one more time.

"He was crushed by a piece of rubble. You can only imagine what it was like to see it, but I can't stop it from replaying over and over in my head. There was absolutely nothing I could have done to save him," I paused, taking a deep breath. "I have a patient I'd like to tend to, if that's okay."

Nick gave a curt nod. That was all I needed to leave. Outside, I broke off into a sprint. In the cover of the trees, I leaned forward and rested my hands on my knees. Tears streamed down my face. The sounds of the grievers crying out echoed through the glade, mirroring my emotions inside.

The next morning, everything ached. I'd slept in the med hut again. When I'd returned last night, Adam was running a fever. I wanted to make sure it didn't get worse. Now he was sitting up and eating breakfast. My head spun when I sat up.

"Easy, E. You have a concussion," Clint said. Jeff looked at my head wound and concluded that it had gotten infected.

"Let me go get you something to eat," Jeff said.

"No! No! I need to get up and move around." I scooted up the edge of the bed and stood up shakily. The room spun but steadied after a moment. I'm okay.

"Are you sure?" Jeff asked. He had his hands out like he was ready to catch me if I fell over or passed out.

"Yes, I'm fine." I smiled and walked to the door. It was bright outside, which didn't help my pounding headache. Each step sent a shot of pain through my body. I'm just sore from the fall.

I tried to ignore the boys who were watching me. It wasn't a long walk to the hut where Frypan. was. I took a plate from the stack. He said something that I couldn't hear. It wasn't until Newt took the plate that I came back to reality.

"You're shaking," he said.

"Sugar crash. I haven't eaten in a while," I said, trying to brush it off. Newt didn't buy it. He took my hand with one of his and carried my plate. He led me to a shaded area. "I'm fine, Newt."

"Love, there is no reason to pretend," Newt replied. We sat under a big tree. There was no escape from the humidity. The silence between us didn't feel right. "Elira."

I had only taken a few bites before I felt sick to my stomach. Even downing some fresh, cold water didn't help. "Are we supposed to live here forever?"

"What?" Newt asked, surprised by the question.

"I mean, we're all pretty young, but what happens in ten years? Will the grievers kill us off? Or will we die of starvation because the people who send the box up stop sending it? I have no idea how to live anywhere else, but this… the glade… it's not home, Newt. I can feel it."

"Hey," Newt pulled me to his side and kissed my head. "Surviving out here is what we have to do. There is no reason to speculate on things we simply can't control."

"And us?" I asked, softly. We can control that. I slipped my hand into his.

"If things were different, then there wouldn't be any problems with us. But you know that we can't. And we're a family. The two of us together would hurt them. You know that." Newt rested his chin on top of my head. "I promised you I'd get you out of here, do you remember?"

"Most of the time you said that when you were drunk off your ass," I replied. A breeze swept through the glade, temporarily taking the heat away.

"I still mean it. The second we get out of here… I'm going to marry you," Newt said.

If we ever get out of here. Sometimes, I wonder if he just says that to keep me hoping for our escape, but… other times, I let myself believe him. No one would leave the maze because we knew there was no way out. The runners would have found a way. Every so often, I have to remind myself that falling in love was a luxury that I would never get to see through.


End file.
